Corsage holder



May 5 1942- A. J. PUJoL ycoRsAGE HOLDER Filed Aug.' 1e, 1940 INVENTOR VELTJ/OUJ BYC, a l

' HTTORN EY Patented May 5, 1942 UN l TE D? STAT ES PAT ENT OfFIi'lfCEv CORSAGE HOLDER v AlbertV J. Pujol, Astoria,v Long Island, N. Y., as4

signor to Cartier, Inc., New York, N. Y., a cor.- poration of `New York Application August 16, 1940, Serial'No. 352,847

This invention is an articleV of jewelry adapted to be worn by ladies to hold a corsage securely in place, without damage to the stems of the flower or iiowers and in such manner as to give to the assembly a neat and finished appearance. The article is so constituted that it may be associated with the stems of a corsage and then mounted upon the person by attaching it to a garment by means of a pin, forming a part of the article.

Speaking generally, the article, in its preferred form, comprises an appropriate foundation, to the .back of which is secured a pin for mounting the same upon a garment and on this foundation is supported a clamping device adapted to be manually .opened to permit the stems of flowers to be-placed therein and, when released, adapted to be spring pressed intoa clamping position to rmly secure the flowers to the foundation.

The clamping device comprises, in its preferred form, six links pivoted to one another and collectively forming a substantially hexagonal frame. One of the side members of this frame is provided. with projecting lugs, While the two adjacent sides are formed with spring tongues bearing against said lugs in such manner as to normally cause the frame to collapse for the purpose of clamping the stems of owers within its contines, Diagonal pressure may, however, be applied to the frame to cause said frame to be distended or opened for the purpose of permitting the introduction of the stems or to permit of their release, as the case may be. All parts of the article may be ornamented in any appropriate way and may be studded with gems or articial stones.

Features of the invention other than those adverted to, will .be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as dening the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an article embodying the present invention, showing a corsage held in place therein.

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the device showing the three upper links removed so that the three lower links and the foundation may be clearly seen.

Figure 4- is an underneath perspective o1- one of the upperl links.

Referring tolthe draw-ing, I` is a foundation which may be of any suitable shape, but may be conveniently made in the form of an annulus.

It is generally made from metal. At two diametrically opposite points in its inner periphery there is pivoted to the foundation I a pair of links 2, by means of pivot pins 3, and the opposite ends of these links 2 carry pivot pins 4 which are connected to brackets 5 formed rigidly with andV on the under sides of links 6. By this connection, the links 6 are pivotally supported through the links 2 upona foundation I.

The inner ends of the links 6 are hinged, by means of pivot pins 1f, to the opposite ends of a lower center link 8. 'I'his lower center link has lugs 9 which project outwardly beyond the pivots I and bearagainst the upper sides of spring tongues IU formed by slitting the links- 6 longitudinally at. II, as shown best in Fig. 3. The tongues Ip' are so tensi'oned that, as they bear against the under sides of,V the lugs 9, they tend to force the links. Iiy and 8 into alinement and in so doing normally holdthelinks 6 in slightly depressed seats I2 formed to receive them in the foundation.

The outer ends of .the links 6 are secured, by pivots I 3, to the two lateral upper links I4, while the inner ends of the links I4 are connected to the outer ends of the center upper link I5 by pivots I6. When the spring tongues I0 act upon the lower links 6 as stated, so that they tend to force them into alinement, this action draws the upper links downwardly and into positions wherein the pivots I3 and IB occupy substantially the same plane.

It will be noted, however, that the upper lateral links i4 project outwardly beyond the pivots I3 and form finger pieces I1. When pressure is applied to these linger pieces in the direction of the arrows I8, as indicated in Figure 2, the tension of the spring tongues I0 will be overcome and the links 6, I4 and I5 may be extended into the dotted line position in Figure 2, so that the hexagonal frame, formed by these center links and the link 8, is opened up to permit the passage of the stem or stems of owers therethrough. When pressure on the linger pieces I1 is released, the spring tongues I 0 will again collapse the hexagonal frame into the full line position of Figure 2 to grip and hold the flower stems. gripping device hereinbefore mentioned, may be distended or collapsed at the will of the user.

Thus the frame, which constitutes the To facilitate the gripping and holding of the flower stems, the inner sides of one or more of the links may be provided with serrated ribs I1, as shown best in Figure 4, although these may be omitted if desired as they are not absolutely necessary.

Any appropriate means may be provided for attaching the foundation to the clothing of the wearer. For the purpose of illustration, I have shown a bracket I9 secured to the back of the foundation and carrying a pair of pins 20 adapted to be passed through the garment.

It will of course be understood that all exposed parts of the device which are visible when worn may be enameled or otherwise ornamented or may be studded with stones or precious gems.

The device of this invention may be made in various sizes, but, in practice, it is found that when made relatively small, it will hold corsages of widely varying sizes with thorough satisfaction and will not appear unduly prominent.

In the form of the invention which I have shown in the drawings, the links 6 are pivoted to the foundation through interposed links 2. It is possible, however, to pivot the links 6 directly to the foundation if the pivots pass through slots, so as to permit of suflicient loss motion to compensate for the opening and closing movements of the clamping device. 'Ihe interposed links 2, however, are preferred where `cost of manufacture is not important, for they eliminate loss motion and result in a construction which operates more smoothly.

f The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A corsage holder comprising a clamping frame formed from `a. plurality of links pivoted to one another, one of said links having lugs projecting beyond the pivotal connection with adjacent links and said adjacent links having spring tongues bearing against said lugs to normally collapse said clamping frame to grip ilower stems passing therethrough, and means for attaching the clamping frame to a garment.

2. A corsage holder comprising a clamping frame formed from a plurality of links pivoted to one another with one of the links having lugs projecting beyond the pivots thereof and with spring tongues on adjacent links bearing against said lugs in a direction to normally collapse said clamping frame upon the stems of flowers passing therethrough, a foundation, means for supporting said clamping frame on the foundation, and means for securing the foundation to a garment.

3. A corsage holder comprising a foundation,

,links pivoted to the foundation, a clamping frame pivoted to said links and comprising additional links pivoted to one another, certain of the links of the clamping frame having formed thereon resilient tongues bearing against another link of said clamping frame to normally collapse the clamping frame to grip flower stems passing therethrough, and means for supporting the foundation on a garment. c

4. A corsage holder comprising -a clamping frame formed from a plurality of links pivoted to one another, resilient means acting on certain of said links to normally collapse said Iclamping frame to grip flower stems passing therethrough, a foundation, means for attaching the foundation to a garment, and a plurality of mounting links one end of each of which is pivoted to the foundation with its other end pivoted to the clamping frame.

5. A corsage holder comprising a center base link, lateral links having their closely adjacent ends pivotally connected to the opposite ends of the base link, lugs on the base link projecting beyond such pivotal connections and engaging with the lateral links to resiliently force the re` mote ends of the lateral links apart, and flower stem engaging means extending' across the space between and secured to the remote ends of the lateral links.

ALBERT J. PUJOL. 

